The 1980's

The 1980's are remembered as a time of big hair and big change. While most people who didn't live through the time tend to only think of the unique fashion and hair, those who were young during that time remember it for that and also for all the change that happened. My mom's older sister, Chiara (Dahl) Glut was born in early 1974, and remembers the decade as she grew into a young adult.

Life for a young Teenager in the 1980's

Chiara grew up in a more conservative family, but that didn't stop her from attempting to keep up with the fashion of the time. "We (referring to her and my mom) were definitely not fresh and forward, but we certainly tried." Peg leg jeans and side ponies were something she remembered were her style. She also remembered being a cheerleader and always trying to get the Boof Bangs. "The girls would tease, and put in Aquanet, tease and put in Aquanet. Everyone had Aquanet. But because my hair was so curly it would never stay." 

"Peg Leg Look"

Music during the 1980's is one thing that everyone thinks of. It had been about 30 years since the boy-bands of the 50's, and music had kept changing and growing. Chiara loved her music. She remembered listening to Top 40 radio and the Oldies stations which played hits from the 50's onward. 

"EVERYONE had Aquanet."

My aunt had two jobs in the '80's. First, when she was around 11, her family started doing paper routes. I am always hearing fun stories of the paper route times from my mom, and other extended family. She did this until she was 15. Then, in 1989, she started working at Wendy's. 

Major Events Through the Eyes of a Young Teenager

In the decade of the 1980's, there were many major, memorable events. These included the explosion of the Challenger, the peace agreement between Russia and America, the Fall of the Berlin Wall, and the Aids epidemic. Teenagers had a unique perspective on these events, as my Aunt shared. 

I asked if the Aids epidemic was as big of a deal as the media portrayed it. "Yes, absolutely." She said that it caused widespread panic because people were dying of this strange, new disease. "You have to understand that we couldn't just Google anything we heard to verify if it was true. There were many rumors that would get spread around because we didn't have quick access to check anything. We got our news through the nightly updates, and church bulletins like Focus on the Family." She commented that because the disease caused disfigurement, it was obvious to others and the pictures struck a chord with everyone. They would wonder, "Could this happen to me?" Because it was known that it came from Homosexual people, there was a "...fear of contamination. No one knew how it spread, so everyone was scared to be around Homosexual people." Aids ended up killing over 100,000 in the 80's, and while now it is not as big of a problem, it still takes the life of many. 

The Crew of the Challenger

Finally, the cold war and the tearing down of the Berlin Wall were probably the most momentous events of the '80's to my aunt. Looking back, she said that Reagan's biggest accomplishment of his presidency was putting a strong face on the U.S. In her opinion, by attempting Star Wars, and trying to focus on defense rather than offence, he took off the Russian's mask. No longer could they try to say they were keeping up with us technologically, as my aunt said, "In reality, Russia's economy was in shambles." But, she also made a very interesting point, "I don't know if you can fully comprehend just how big the presence of the Cold War was in our lives. To us, Russia was truly evil and would like nothing more than to 'nook the whole US. I don't know if there really is anything comparable to it for your generation." And, without my even asking, she mentioned the fall of the Berlin Wall. She talked about how emotional it was; how seeing them tear it down peice by peice, this thing that had haunted them, was amazing. She said that was one of the most memorable things from that decade, and represented so much. 

"Tear down this wall!" 

Conclusion

The 1980's are looked back on by me and my peers as, well, somewhat insane. The hair, the make-up and fashion; the music and the movies; but what we often forget is the importance of that decade, all the things that happened, all things our society learned. From the agony of loss, to the relief of conquering ghosts, to the sorrow of disease, to the burden of war and the joy of peace; this is what the '80's should be remembered as. While we make fun and joke around about the time, we also should realize that aside from the interesting, the 1980's was a decade of learning, of change, and of progress. 

Moscow Doesn't Believe in Tears

Living in Moscow is very different than living in the US. One major difference is housing. In Moscow, there is a system of "Communal Living," where multiple people or families share an apartment or dorm room. These are typically available and assigned based on job, income and other factors. While this created a community culture in Moscow, it also created many issues such as jealously, obvious differences between the classes, and pride issues. This communal life is shown in the movie Moscow Doesn't Believe In Tears, which was released in 1980. 

Katerina is a young, working class girl in 1958. She was trying to get into a school where she could study chemistry and make a better life for herself. She had just failed the exams and had a year to study and take them again. She lived in a single room dorm with two other girls who would become her closest friends throughout life. One of her roommates, named Antonia, was dating a nice, working class man, whom she eventually married. However, the other girl, Lyudmila, is obsessed with playing 'the game' and trying to marry into the higher class. She wanted the money, the big apartment, the nice clothes, and a big shot husband. She was only interested in men who had a title like scientist, philosopher, sports hero. Those were the men who had what she wanted, so she tried her best to make sure they didn't know where she actually lived, and what her lifestyle was. One day, Katerina's aunt and uncle took a long vacation and asked Katerina to move into their apartment. Well, Katerina's uncle was a famous professor and had a very large, very nice apartment that they didn't have to share with anyone. While they are gone, Lyudmila convinces Katerina to pretend that they were sisters and they were the professor's daughters. She wanted to act like they were people who had the money and a house. Skeptical, Katerina was hesitant to agree, but eventually was talked into it. Lyudmila invited many 'big-shot' men over for a party, with the plan that once the two girls paired up and got the men to fall in love with them, they would share the truth. Lyudmila meets a nice Hockey player while Katerina falls for a T.V. camera man named Anton. Unfortunately, while Anton still doesn't know the truth about Katerina, he got her pregnant. Then, he accidentally found out about her job, her not being the professors daughter, and her being pregnant. He refused to help and left her. Meanwhile, Lyudmila got engaged to the hockey player and Antonia got married. Then Katerina had her baby, and while trying to juggle caring for Alexandra and studying for her acceptance test, being tired, stressed, and desperate, she cried herself to sleep. 

Flash forward about 17 years. Katerina is a successful, leader in her job. She lives in a nice apartment with her late teens-daughter. She is committed to her job, and it is obvious that it got her a lot. However, she is lonely. She hasn't married. Lyudmila, now divorced from her famous, hockey-playing-turned-alcoholic husband, is still beautiful and still looks for her 'big-shot' man to marry. No longer living in a dormitory, but an apartment a little smaller than Katerina, it is obvious that she too has worked hard to get her house. And Antonia is still happily married and has had 3 children, however they are cramped in a small apartment. One day, after visiting with Antonia, Katerina takes the train home and meets a mysterious, attractive, man. He offers to give her a ride home and then two days later ends up at her house. He cooks dinner for her and Alexandra, and then asks Katrina to marry him. Surprised, she doesn't really know how to respond. He says that they will go for a picnic with his friends on Sunday and that she can give her answer to him on Wednesday. On Sunday she goes to the picnic and falls in love with the mysterious man, Georgiy. They are set to get married, and they both love each other very much. One night, Georgiy helps Alexandra take care of some guys who were bothering her by fighting with them. Katerina raised her voice and demanded that he ask her before doing such a thing again. He agreed, but said that if she ever raised her voice and talked to him like that, he would never come back. Cue Anton, Alexandra's father. Suddenly meeting Katerina, he asks to meet Alexandra. Katrina refuses, saying that he did nothing for her as a child, and she is now an adult. He doesn't listen, and tracks down there home and comes in during dinner one night. Georgiy goes to leave, and Katerina panics and raised her voice and commanded him to stay. After he leaves, she cried, knowing that he would not return. As her friends tried to comfort her, Antonia's husband looked for Georgiy, and after finding him insisted that he return. The movie ends with a happy, content, early-40's Katerina sitting with Georgiy and Alexandra around the dinner table. 

Moscow Doesn't Believe in Tears shows the struggles of living in Moscow. If you had the money, you had it nice. If you didn't, it was a struggle. One thing that Communal Living did for Moscow was promote a culture of community. With the tight spaces you had to get to know those living with you. In dormitories it was like a chain, you knew your roommates best, then there were the other girls living in other rooms in your hall, then on your level, then in your building. Everyone knew one another. This was nice because it made friends, but it also made enemies. 

The downside to Communal Living in Moscow is that inevitably there will be disputes. In a small apartment, there could be two or three families living together. There is little privacy, as it has been reported that people will eavesdrop and spy. It is unlikely that any personal issue would stay a secret, as there may be only a curtain dividing you from someone else. There also are cases of stealing, anything from food to clothes disappearing. Sometimes there may be two families claiming one thing belongs to them. These disputes are normal, as people don't get to choose who they live with. It is assigned. Unlike in the state, where some friends might go in on a house or apartment together and live as roommates, the government decides who you are with. Since you don't own the space you can't say "No smoking," or "No pets." For all you know the person living with you could be a person with serious criminal history. There are both pros and cons to Communal Living in Moscow, but it does seem like the bad outweigh the good. 

I believe that what the film Moscow Doesn't Believe in Tears showed about Communal Living is fairly accurate. It showed the struggles of the classes, the want for something better, the work and time it took to get it, and some of the issues that it caused. I think it showed what all Moscowians dreamed of - a big house, a good job, and privacy. It was an enjoyable film to watch that helped me to grasp the concept of Communal Living in Moscow, both the struggles and peace that it brought. 

Alibaba and Globalization (1980's)

Alibaba and 40 Thieves, or Alibaba Aur 40 Chor is a Hindi/USSR film released in 1980. Taking an old story that had been passed through the generations and putting it into a film. The tale of Alibaba, a poor man who stumbles upon the magical cave of the rich king of 40 bandits, Abu Hassan, it exciting and compelling. However, it is also a great example of the Globalization that was happening at that time.

During the late 70's, early 80's, technology had suddenly grown and  transportation of goods and people had become so much easier.  This led to a speeding up of the process of Globalization. Basically, it is when cultures all over the world mix. For example, during the 70's and 80's, it was cheaper to make many products in countries like China and Taiwan, and ship them to America. The price of labor was so much less. Because of that, there was a mixing of cultures. Now, the results of Globalization can be seen everywhere. Even in 3rd World Countries you can buy the I <3 New York Shirts, and can have access to some level of technology. Another example is how McDonalds' can be found EVERYWHERE in the world. There are pros and cons to Globalization, such as access to better and more safe lifestyles, but also there is sometimes a loss in the folk culture. However, now that the cat is out of the bag, it is too late to stop it.

Alibaba and The 40 Thieves is a good example of how globalization affected the traditional cinema of Hindi Films. While it still has the songs and dance numbers, the music has changed slightly, as well as other hints of a change in culture. The music sounds more 'pop' than before. It is obviously still Indian, but it has a disco sound to it. Disco never really left India, but the movie Alibaba Aur 40 Chor is one of the first movies that really had a strong disco influence in the music.

Another thing that I noticed that didn't really fit with India was that the main religion of the movie was not Hindu, but rather Islam. While a lot of Muslims lived in India, the movies made usually contained a strong Transcendental worldview, typically in the form of Hinduism. That was not the case in Alibaba and the 40 Thieves. There were many times the characters talked about Allah, which is Islams god. Also, the heroine who kills the king of the bandits, Abu Hassan, forces him to say, "Allah is god, and Muhammad is his prophet." What is so intriguing about this is how Islam isn't even all that similar to Hinduism. Islam is considered a Theistic worldview, that believes in one god. Hinduism (again, the traditional Indian-Bollywood film religion) is a Transcendental worldview that worships many gods. In my opinion, this still falls under the banner of Globalization even though Islam had been present in India for a long time. It was still a very significant change in what the culture was watching in the pop media.

"Get ready to face Allah."

Finally, would Russians enjoy this film? Made by both India and the USSR, I think some would enjoy it. There wasn't a ton of stuff that would appeal to the average Russian as far as any Russian culture, but there is nothing that would offend anyone. However, the two main women in the movie were both very strong characters. There were weak. One lived through captivity by large group of men who assaulted her, she also took a knife to save Alibaba, and tried to save her father. The other was also captured and sold as a slave, but Alibaba loved her and bought her back. This I think would appeal to Russians, as in their culture women were very respected.  Another thing that is important to note, that there a happy ending in this movie, and only one of the main characters die. I am pretty sure that part came did not come from the Russians..... :)

Alibaba Aur 40 Chor, or Alibaba and The 40 Thieves was a film that took the old folk tale of the poor Alibaba who stumbled upon the magical cave the rich bandit, and turned it into a classic Indian movie. The rapid Globalization of the world, and the mixing of cultures during the time this movie was released can be clearly seen by those watching. The movie was a mix of old folk culture, and new pop culture that turned it into a blockbuster.

Whhaatttt??? USSR must not have had a say in the ending.

Star Wars and the Generation Gap

There are certain types of pop culture that turn into classics. References to them are recognized by pretty much everyone. One of the classic examples of this is the Star Wars series. The first movie, or the fourth instalment, was released in 1977 and triggered 5 more movies over the next 15 years. Even now, nearly 30 years after the release of the first movie, America is greatly anticipating a seventh movie that releases at the end of this year. When it was released it was one of the finest technical movies to that date, and used advanced CGI (Computer Generated Imaging). Now, of course, we laugh at the simplicity of such technology, and how obviously old it is. But, Star Wars still managed to become extremely present in Pop Culture. However, besides just being a great story, and a popular movie for movie buffs everywhere to geek out about, Star Wars: A New Hope, is a great illustration for the Generation Gap theory, as it came out right in the middle of a time of great change, and contains characters who display personality traits that were similar to certain American Generations. These characters include Luke, Han Solo, Obi Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader, and Luke's Uncle - Owen.

Before 1977, there were really four generations that each of these characters fit into, and they each show different traits, some show things from two generations. First, Luke is pretty young, probably in his late teens when the first movie was released. They are brother and sister and pretty similar. Luke tends to be very critical of what other people are doing. For example, when on the Millennium Falcon for the first time, he questions everything the Han does. He wants an adventure, but when Obi Wan asks him to go with him to Tatooine, he refused saying he needed to stay and help his uncle. He questioned if he could be of any help. With this information, I believe that Luke's personality would place him with Generation X. On the other hand, Hans Solo is a few years older than Luke. He is pretty self-centered, and worked alot on his star ship. His personality would place him with the Baby Boomers. However, there one trait of Baby Boomers that he strongly does not fit in with: He is not optimistic, and isn't really that team-oriented. But, there are always outliers in generations as not everyone is the same. Now, as for Obi Wan Kenobi, Darth Vader and Uncle Owen, I would consider all of them to be from The Greatest Generation. However, I do think Uncle Owen was more of one of the people who was born in the transition time between then and the Silent Generation. Both Darth Vader and Obi Wan were serious fighters, and fought assertively. They knew their minds and had standards of what was right and wrong. They were Jedi's, and pretty epic. Obi Wan was loyal to the Jedi's. Uncle Own on the other hand showed the traits from the Greatest Generation of a strong work ethic, and not stopping working until he physically couldn't. However, from the Silent generation he displayed discipline and didn't want to fight much.

Every American generation related to technology, music, and conflict in a different way. The characters in Star Wars were no different. Each one reacted differently and uniquely, and some didn't react in the movie, but based on their generation I will make an educated guess. First, let's look at their reactions to technology.

Star Wars takes place in the future, where technology is even more advanced than it is now. People whiz around in hovercrafts and hyper-jump to lightspeed. Still, the characters react differently to their tech. Han Solo, of course, continually played with the technology of his ship to improve it. He loved the higher tech, like the guns, and got frustrated with Obi Wan's insistence of using his old fashioned light saber. Obi Wan knew how to use the technology, but prefered the gracefulness of his sabor. On the other hand, Luke was open to any technology. He was just as excited by the hovercraft as he was with the light saber. Darth Vader used both old and new tech. He used his light saber, and he was proud of the Death Star. Finally, Uncle Owen used his old fashioned farming tool, and bought used (stolen) droids to assist him. He fixed it up, which is similar to the trait from The Greatest Generation of "use it up, fix it up, make it do, or do without." Technology was very important in Star Wars, because in the futuristic galaxy, you never know when you would need your blaster.

Now, as for music, we can only relate the characters based on their American generation. I have never heard any futuristic music, but if the characters were born with the generation that their personality reflected, they would definitely have had a preference. Luke and Han Solo would have had similar taste, and have grown up with the Beatles and garage bands. Luke's generation would've transitioned into the classic rock stage, with bands like Queen gaining popularity in Luke's late teens/early 20's, and he also would've been part of the Punk Rock age. However, the three older men might not have enjoyed that rock'n'roll sound as much. They would've been born in the early 1900's, and transitioned to the roaring 20's swinging music. There would've been a very large gap between what the younger boys and older men would've prefered as far as music.

Finally, each generation lived through different experiences. Those events shaped how the people would've reacted to dangerous situations and conflict. Again, you can see the differences between the character in Star Wars. Obi Wan and Darth Vader remained calm, cool and collective when they were fighting each other, or faced with a tough situation. For example, when Obi Wan and Luke were stopped by the Storm Troopers who asked about the droids, Obi Wan just used the force. Luke freaked out a little bit. Obi Wan's generation, The Greatest Generation, was one of warriors. They fought many wars, and knew how to react. Darth Vader was the same way. Han Solo was similar to Obi Wan in he didn't freak out when something happened, but he was different in that he didn't remain calm. He reacted by shooting and fighting. He wasn't always wise in situations like Obi Wan, who would think. Han was reactionary. Lastly, Luke tended to panic. He would try to make a plan, but they were rushed. He was also a little reactionary, but not as much as Han. Luke was like a bad mix of the two generations.

The Star Wars saga is a piece of pop culture that is not only fun, but also can be used to study the different American generations before the 1980's. As a classic, it is impossible to imagine that Star Wars could possibly be left behind as a piece of old pop culture. It will remain a part of our history, and a part of our present as new generations watch and enjoy with the same amount of zeal and joy as the generations before.